A Tale of Two Totally Different Types

During the Drowning of New Orleans, I learned that I had been dead wrong about a politician. Let me explain. Even though I voted for Al Gore, I never really liked him. I was just settling for the lesser evil. That was before I was forced to see the hand of real evil slap the life out of this country. Then 5 years later I found out about Al Gore and his self funded, not publicized rescue effort during the first days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and the Levees were blown to clear some prime real estate for development by the same criminal syndicate which had cleared so much in New York. A year and a half ago, I found out about this, wrote about it, and really learned something from it.


Well, I finally found some photos from Gore's heroic effort. Just to make it perfectly clear, I am going to also put some of Bush's best photo op pictures to compare them to. See if you can tell what it is that separates these two men. Which one would you rather have running this country?

There's Bush, 4 days into the disaster, having a friendly chat with his buddies. The helicopters and their crews, taken off of rescue operations, cleaned, polished and deployed as the backdrop for this photo op. This wasn't even an actual strategy meeting. Just a scripted photo op to appease the public audience and glorify our fearless leader.

Next is Gore, fighting to get a plane which he personally paid for, flew into "Hell" inside of and got back out of Hell twice with full loads of people who desperately needed a hero. For years I have heard people say ,

"Gore would have done the same." or "Like Gore would have done any better."

Well, it would appear that he is more than capable of outperforming the entire Federal Government when needed. And when I say outperformed, I mean physically, mentally and emotionally performed... Not to be mistaken with the performance of the Mime troupe we've been stuck with for 6 years. Gore is a bit stiff. Actually he is down right hard and tough, as a leader must be in times that call on them to step up and lead . There is nothing casual about heroism. There shouldn't be anything casual about the Leader of our Nation during Emergency or War. The job is too important to be guided by a PR firm.

Fighting Back at Last

IN THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF LANE COUNTY, OREGON

	) IN THE MATTER OF LANE COUNTY, OREGON
ORDER NO. 03-7-2-1	) DEFENDING THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND CIVIL
	) LIBERTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE USA PATRIOT ACT

WHEREAS, Lane County has a long and distinguished tradition of protecting the civil rights and liberties for all its residents as expressed in the United States and the Oregon Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Lane County has a diverse population, including immigrants, students and working people, whose contributions to the community are vital to its character and function; and

WHEREAS, Lane County reaffirms its support of the U.S. Constitution and the Oregon Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Lane County's Diversity Statement contained in LM 2.390 states the County policy of respecting and valuing differences, such as those based on ethnicity, language, and race, as well as respecting each individual's right to privacy in areas such as religious faith, political beliefs, and association; and

WHEREAS, in our opinion, several new federal laws, regulations and executive orders issued since September 11, 2001, including the adoption of certain provisions of the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act (Public Law 107-56, hereafter UPA) and the Homeland Security Act (Public Law 107-296) now threaten this local policy, as well as our constitutional rights and liberties, including:

a. Freedom of speech, association, and religion,

b. Right to privacy,

c. Right to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings,

d. Right to equal protection before the law,

e. Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures; and

WHEREAS, federal, state and local governments need to protect the public from terrorist attacks such as those that occurred on September 11, 2001. Governments have an obligation to do so in a rational and deliberative fashion to ensure any new security measures enhance public safety without impairing Constitutional guarantees, or infringing on civil liberties; and

WHEREAS, in our opinion, federal policies adopted since September 11, 2001, including provisions in the UPA and related executive orders, regulations and actions threaten fundamental rights and liberties by:

a. authorizing the indefinite incarceration of non-citizens based on mere suspicion (UPA, sections 411 and 412), and the indefinite incarceration of citizens designated by the President as "enemy combatants" without access to counsel or meaningful recourse to the federal courts (White House Order June 9, 2002; Department of Defense Report October 2, 2002),

b. establishing secret military tribunals for terrorism suspects, without judicial oversight or Constitutional safeguards (Military Order, November 13, 2001),

c. permitting wiretapping of conversations between federal prisoners and their attorneys (28 CFR 501.3),

d. limiting disclosure of public documents and records under the Freedom of Information Act ("Memorandum for Heads of all Federal Departments and Agencies," Attorney General John Ashcroft, October 12, 2001),

e. permitting the use the secret Foreign Intelligence Courts to oversee law enforcement use of electronic surveillance in anti-terrorism investigations and in ordinary criminal investigations (UPA, section 216),

f. expanding the authority of federal agents under the secrecy of Foreign Intelligence Courts to conduct so-called "sneak and peek" or "black bag" searches, in which the subject of the search warrant is unaware that his property has been searched for citizens and non-citizens alike. (UPA, section 213),

g. granting law enforcement and intelligence agencies broad access to personal medical, financial, library and education records with little if any judicial oversight (UPA, sections 215, 218, 358 and 508),

h. chilling constitutionally protected speech through overbroad definitions of "terrorism", which include protests and other political demonstrations (UPA, section 411),

i. driving a wedge between immigrant communities and the police that protect them by encouraging involvement of state and local police in enforcement of federal immigration law (Public Law 107-296, Title VIII, Subtitle I: Homeland Security Information Sharing Act; Department of Justice Legal Opinion April 10, 2002),

j. permitting the FBI to conduct surveillance of religious services, Internet chatrooms, political demonstrations, and other public meetings of any kind without having any evidence that a crime has been or may be committed (UPA, sections 203 and 901 and Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines promulgated in May, 2002),

k. eliminating many safeguards designed to prevent the potential for broad dissemination of unsubstantiated, incorrect or inappropriate information via law enforcement (Public Law 107-296, section 202; Department of Justice Rule amending 28 CFR Part 16 Privacy Act of 1974, March 24, 2003),

l. allowing the Attorney General to override court decisions granting bond to immigrants seeking asylum, by requiring most immigrants to be jailed indefinitely without bond when "national security" risks exist (Interim Decision #3488, from John Ashcroft April 17, 2003),

m. failing to ensure the accuracy of National Crime Information Center (NCIC) records (Department of Justice Order issued March 24, 2003, amending 28 CFR part 16, Privacy Act of 1974),

n. granting the Attorney General broad discretion to determine which political and religious organizations are `terrorist organizations', with no judicial or congressional oversight; (Executive Order 13224); and

WHEREAS, we believe that new legislation has been drafted by the Administration currently entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (DSEA) (also known as PATRIOT II) which contains a multitude of new and sweeping law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers, many of which are not related to terrorism, that would severely dilute, if not undermine, many basic constitutional rights, as well as disturb our unique system of checks and balances by:

a. diminishing personal privacy by removing important checks on government surveillance authority,

b. reducing the accountability of government to the public by increasing government secrecy,

c. expanding the definition of "terrorism" in a manner that threatens the constitutionally protected rights of Americans,

d. seriously eroding the right of all persons to due process of law; and

WHEREAS, we believe that these new powers pose a particular threat to the civil rights and liberties of the residents of our county who are Arab, Muslim, or of South Asian descent; and

WHEREAS, more than 130 communities throughout the country, and three states have enacted resolutions reaffirming support for civil rights and civil liberties in the face of government policies that threaten these values, and demanding accountability from law enforcement agencies regarding their use of these new powers; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of Lane County want their commissioners and government to take a stand affirming the civil liberties and human rights of its residents,

NOW, THEREFORE IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The County Administrator is directed every three months to compile from each County Department a list of all contacts, requests for assistance, requests for information, and any other communication from any federal agency, or on behalf of any federal agency, under the auspices of enforcing any of the provisions mentioned in the body of this Order. The information shall be disclosed to the fullest extent permissible by law. The information to be compiled includes but is not limited to:

a. The number of any detainees connected with "terrorism" investigations;

b. The names of any detainees connected with "terrorism" investigations;

c. The charges, if any, lodged against each above mentioned detainee;

d. The number of times federal authorities contacted any department in furtherance of monitoring political meetings, religious gatherings or other similar activities;

e. The number of times education records have been requested or obtained from public schools and institutions of higher learning in Lane County under section 507 of the UPA, and

f. The number of times library records have been requested or obtained from libraries in Lane County under section 215 of UPA

g. The number of times records of books purchased by store patrons have been requested or obtained from bookstores in Lane County under section 215 of UPA.

2. The County Administrator shall request a report from the Lane County Sheriff disclosing, to the extent permitted by law, any incidents within the past year in which he has been requested by federal authorities to take part in enforcement or furtherance of the above-listed statutes, regulations, and orders. The County Administrator shall request updated information every three months. The information requested by the County Administrator will include, but will not be limited to, the following:

a. information regarding "sneak and peak" searches, that is, searches without either advance warning or prompt notification following a search, pursuant to Section 213 of the UPA,

b. information regarding military tribunals involving Lane County residents;

c. information regarding requests to obtain library, educational, and bookstore purchase records in connection with an investigation of suspected terrorist activity;

d. information regarding the involvement of Sheriff's deputies in the investigation of immigration offenses;

e. information regarding surveillance of religious services, internet chat-rooms, political demonstrations, or other public meetings in connection with an investigation of suspected terrorist activity.

3. The County Administrator shall advise the Board and the Lane County Human Rights Advisory Committee of the results of his inquiries within three months of the date of this Order, and every three months for as long as federal laws and orders specified in this resolution remain in place.

4. The Sheriff is further requested to advise the Board of how his Department complies with ORS 181.850 and 181.575, including providing copies of any applicable written procedures.

5. All county agencies are directed not to use county funds in any manner which would violate the civil liberties of Lane County residents, as outlined in this resolution. No contract or agreement for any service will be approved by the Board if the terms of the contract or agreement is for the purpose of conducting any activities under the provisions of Federal law mentioned in the body of this Order in a manner that would violate the civil liberties of Lane County residents.

6. The County Administrator is directed to transmit a copy of this Order to Senator Ron Wyden, Senator Gordon Smith, and Representative Peter DeFazio, accompanied by letters, urging them to:

a. monitor federal anti-terrorism tactics,

b. work to repeal the UPA, Homeland Security and other laws and regulations that infringe on civil rights and liberties,

c. ensure that provisions of the UPA "sunset" in accordance with the provisions of the Act, and

d. take a lead in Congressional action to prohibit passage of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, known as "Patriot II" and/or any other new legislation that performs similar assaults on privacy, due process, increased government secrecy, and the checks and balances in government.

7. The County Administrator is directed to transmit a copy of this Order to Governor Kulongoski, Oregon Attorney General Hardy Meyers and appropriate members of the State Legislature, accompanied by letters urging them to ensure the state does not weaken in any way ORS 181.850 or ORS 181.575, urging them to ensure that any policies implemented by the Legislature do not infringe on civil liberties as described in this Order, and urging them to take a public stand supporting a statewide resolution prohibiting the expenditure of state funds in support of the federal laws, regulations and policies described in this Order.

8. The County Administrator is directed to transmit a copy of this Order to President George W. Bush and U.S. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft.

9. The provisions of this Order shall be severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this Order is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to the Constitution of the United States or of the State of Oregon or the applicability thereof to any agency, person, or circumstances is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this Order and the applicability thereof to any other agency, person or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

DATED this 2nd day of July, 2003.

__________________________________

Peter Sorenson, Chair
Lane County Board of Commissioners

Have You Served Your Country?

I was reviewing the recent Misquoting of Lincoln... Wait... Fuck that! That doesn't really identify, explain or define what happened. It actually glosses over the events and activities with a "Nothing to see here" audacity. No, what happened was this. An idiot propagandist dishonored a former President and the very fabric of the American ideals and values that we have lost. He accused the former President of treason to the Constitution and used an anti-American quote as evidence of this treason.
This Congressman, Don Young, R. Alaska, HATES AMERICA SO MUCH THAT HE WOULD DEFILE THE VERY HISTORY THAT SOMEDAY WOULD BE USED TO PASS THOSE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES ONTO FUTURE GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS. HE TRIED AND FAILED, THANK GOD, FROM POISONING AND KILLING THE FUTURE OF THIS NATION. THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT OF HATRED FOR AMERICA. DAMN... Should we hang him for that?

This reminded me that there has been a great deal of this type of sabotage being perpetrated against our Military. I felt compelled to do my part to counter these Anti-American Assaults.

Please read..

"I,____________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God"

That is the Oath, taken by every member of the US Military, upon induction into the Service. Idiot Propagandists have been willfully attempting to Dishonor our Heroes by coercing them into breaking that Oath.

"I,____________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;"

There is not a word about defending the Homeland, its people, freedom, justice or any other thing. The Oath is to the Constitution alone. Why only the Constitution? Because as long as it is protected, it alone has the Power to protect everything else. Next line,

" that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;"

From that day on, all who have taken this Oath have but one loyalty, and to that one loyalty they must not only give lip service or half hearted allegiance. They must stay true to it in thought and belief. True Faith. A Pledge of Allegiance , not only of body, but of mind and spirit as well. That is one Hell of a thing for so many to pledge so much of themselves to. God does not require such steadfast devotion. If you served, ask yourself if you have lived up to your Duty.

Next line...

"and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me,"

What, there is more? But how can one serve two Masters? What if they do not agree on something? Fortunately the framers thought of this dilemma and qualified the addendum thusly,

"according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God"

That is the key to it all. Sure, do as the President orders or superior officers order, but only when those orders are in accord with the Laws held fast by the Constitution. Those Laws must be at all times followed. So what if the Orders from Men, defy the Laws and the Constitution?

" The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 809.ART.90 (20), makes it clear that military personnel need to obey the "lawful command of his superior officer," 891.ART.91 (2), the "lawful order of a warrant officer", 892.ART.92 (1) the "lawful general order", 892.ART.92 (2) "lawful order". In each case, military personnel have an obligation and a duty to only obey Lawful orders and indeed have an obligation to disobey Unlawful orders, including orders by the president that do not comply with the UCMJ. The moral and legal obligation is to the U.S. Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders, especially if those orders are in direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ." -Lawrence Mosqueda, Ph.D

I hate to be the messenger hear, but it is my duty to inform the Military and every member of it that they have been Derelict in their Duties and have broken their Oaths. I'm going to chance a guess that the Framers also saw this horrific event and that would be the reason why they chose to finish the Oath of Induction with a plea to a higher power for aid in upholding this Oath.

"So help me God."

Yeah, I'll ask it again...

So help me God.

The Build Up to "Whaaa the fuck?"

The White House recently drafted an article for the New York Times under the psuedonym Michael R. Gordon. Let's see if we can use baseball announcing tactics to shed a bit of light on what was written.

"The most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran"


or in other words,

"Up first is United States intelligence, currently batting .000 in this century. Yeah, even with a sacrafice fly earlier for the designated hitter, Dick Cheney, this guy is batting zero."

"And he is followed by Western Sources also currently batting .000"

"Can anyone tell me where this kid, Western Sources even came from? I mean, we don't have a scouting report or anything and, my God, does he seem unprepared for the bright lights and close scrutiny of the spectators here tonight!"

"Of course that leaves White House Sources batting clean up and he is also, sadly, batting .000"

"And of course, with Administration Officials currently pitching a 21 ERA with a surprisingly low 1 HBP or Hit by Pitch. I am speaking of Libby of course."

"So with a battless fourth season well underway and this bad of pitching, one is forced to wonder, What is the Manager, American People, hoping to prove by leaving this guy in against the Iranian's. "

"I know I'm wondering that."

"It looked a moment ago like John Conyers was gonna walk out to the mound and bring this embarrassment to an end, but he turned around. "

"Wait, it looks like Pelosi is going for the phone. Maybe she's gonna call the Bullpen. No, she sat back down. "


"Well, here you have it folks. It's just too bad that Major League Geo-politics doesn't have a 10 run mercy rule, because at this point it looks like we are in for a double header that promises to not only turn an unbelievable number of bright careers into negative statistics, but also promises to waste the money of every ticket holder in the stands tonight!"

"You said that right. They'll be lucky if they don't get charged for parking violations and a grounds fee for this one!"


Get the point yet? Turn the lights out. The party is over.

Pray for the Future to Vindicate Your Actions

On Valentine's Day, I'd like to give a little reminder to everyone that there is a product of the romance and togetherness that many of you are feeling right now. The UN just completed a study of how that product is being taken care of, and guess what?

"The United States and Britain ranked at the bottom of a U.N. survey released Wednesday evaluating the well-being of children in wealthy countries."

This should be a clue and a half to anyone proposing that we go to War with Iran. Yes, the two countries committed to sharing their moral and behavioral superiority with the world, no matter what the cost, are failing their most important responsibility. Security begins with the protection and well being of our children. Anything other than that is buttressing the fortress walls while leaving the gates open and the bridge down.

Is this the effect of squandering billions, if not trillions, on fruitless war? I doubt it. From what I've read here, this study took into account facts all the way back to 2000. That means we were failing miserably in our duties before we even began the new crusade. I am sure that the current statistics would paint an even worse picture.

So, to beat a dead horse, much like Bush and his necromancers are doing with our military, I will make the point again...

There is no security in their policies, no pot of gold at the end of their delusional rainbow and no honor in this continued and blood soaked crusade of bravado. Yes, attacking Iran will look like a success in the beginning. Our military is awesome in its ability to smash walls and storm the enemy. Unfortunately it will be nothing more than a catastrophic success, destined for failure. It will not improve our children's security or make us any safer. It will only achieve a temporary stasis of pride. You know, that thing which comes before the fall.

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Matter of priorities

World War III is getting heated up. The housing bubble is about to burst. We are facing a possible depression that will be so bad it will make the other one look "Great" in comparison. Oh, and I almost forgot... Global warming is a fact, unstoppable, and about to bring a sea shore to a location near you. So what is everybody talking about?

Anna Nicole Smith just died.... Fuck it. I give up...

BTW, here's what she was know for and why she is so important today.

"Through the '90s and into the new century, Ms. Smith was famous for being famous, a pop-culture punchline because of her up-and-down weight, her exaggerated curves, her little-girl voice, her ditzy-blonde persona, and her over-the-top revealing outfits.""

The Righteous have only one resposibility, Righteousness.

Mercy is always the most important thing to show your enemies. One can never be certain as to their own level of villainy. But a "no mercy for villains" policy does allow one to be assured of their being a villain. There is no increment of negative small enough to have a positive value. Our leaders say that we must adopt the ways and methods of our enemies in order to preserve our values and our lives. I ask why our lives deserve preservation now that our values are the same as the ones we kill others for having.

We have abandoned liberty out of fear that it may be taken from us.


We have criminalized freedom in order to protect freedom from the hypothetical assault that it might have faced from hypothetical entities who might possibly have the freedom to assault it, if allowed to act freely.

We have perverted and corrupted justice to ensure that those who might attempt to bring us to justice in order to pervert it or corrupt it, get to experience the full realization of their desired corruption.

And in all things, we have made it impossible for anyone else to take our freedom, liberty, and justice away from us. To make sure that no one can hurt us, we have killed ourselves. At last we have succeeded in totally eliminating any possibility of anyone doing us any harm. You cannot steal from an empty treasury or kill a dead man.

Death to all fanatics!!!